Tent pole



April 5, 1927. 1,623,153

P. T. ABERCROMBIE TENT POLE Filed Dec. 15. 1925 IN VE N TOR readily atthe place of use without requir Patented Apr. 5, 1927. i! Y UNITEDSTATES DAVID T. ABERCROMBIE, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

TENT

POLE.

Application filed December 15, 1925. Serial No. 75,528.

This invention is concerned particularly with sectional tent. poleswhich can be taken apart for convenience in transportation inautomobiles, boats, etc. and can be assembled ing the cutting of poles.Such sectional tent poles are commonly made with some form of socketjoint and besides being sometimes diflicult to take apart if the jointsare tight enough to prevent flexing, require endwise movement of onesection with respect to the other so that they cannotbe assembled easilywithin the tent and if so assembledbring about a disarrangement ofthecanvas, which may require readjustment of the guy ropes. Other formsof joints have not proved satisfactory in practice for various reasons,such as that they involve the use of detachable parts which are liabletobecome lost, or that they do not hold the sections of the pole rigidlyin line, or that they do not have the strength necessary to resist thestresses to which they may be subjected in use. The object of thepresent invention is to provide a joint of such character that it willbe strong and capable of resisting strains, that it will have nodetachable parts to be lost, that it will hold the sections of the polerigidly in line, that it can be manipulated easily, that it can beassembled and put in position readily within the tent without stretchingthe canvas and without leaving it slack when in position, and that itcan be produced at low cost. In accordance with the invention there isprovided a channel member which is secured to one end of one of the polesections and is adapted for secure engagement with the adjacent end ofthe other pole member, the adjacent extremities of the two pole membersbeing suitably formed so as to interlock and also to facilitate takingapart and reassembling.

The invention will be explained more fully hereinafter with reference tothe accompanying drawing in which it is illustrated and in which:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of the improved joint, the channelmember being shown partly in section todisclose the relation of theextremities of the two pole sections, the position which one of thesections assumes in taking apart or in assembling being indicated bybroken lines.

Figure 2 is a view of the same in elevation as seen from the left handin Figure 1.

Figures 3 and 4: are conventional views illustrating the application ofthe pole to a simple form of tent.

In the embodiment of the invention illus trated in the drawing the twopole sections a and Z) are shown to be square and of the same size incross section. To one of the sections, preferably to the upper portionof the lower section, is secured, as by rivets c, a channel member ofsheet metal of such thickness as to insure stiffness. This channelmember 0 is extended for about half its length beyond the extremity ofthe section b and is adapted to be engaged near its other end by a latchor look which is movable but is not removable. As shown, the channelmember 0 is slotted, as at 0 to be engagedby an eye bolt d which ispermanently secured, at the proper point, to the other pole section a,but is capable of being turned on its axis from a position in which itregisters with the slot 0 as indicated by broken lines in Figure 1, to aposition in which, after the eye has been passed through the slot 0 itmay be turned to a position at right angles to the slot 0 as shown byfull lines in Figures 1 and 2, in which latter position it cannot bewithdrawn through the slot. As shown, there may be conveniently employedfor the purpose a moderately heavy screw eye which engages a nut dcountersunk in the opposite side of the pole section, the stem of thescrew eye being then set up so as to prevent withdrawal. The threadedengagement of the screw eye with the nut permits the screw eye to beturned up so that when in locked position, it will engage the channelmember tightly and prevent looseness.

The adjacent extremities of the pole sections are so formed as tointerlock. In order that they may be engaged and disengaged readily, oneof the pole sections is cut off obliquely, in one plane, as indicated atb in Figure 1, so as to form a socket between the pole and the channelmember and the other pole section is similarly cut off on the sameangle, as at a, so as to fit the socket above mentioned, and is also cutoff at an angle therewith, as at (1 so as to facilitate the engagementand disengagement of the parts, as indicated by broken lines in Figure1.

In the application of the invention illustrated conventionally inFigures 3 and 4-, in which is shown an A tent with a ridge 6, side Walls7 and a sod cloth 9, the sectional pole is applied from within the tentby being engaged with the ridge and being itself flexed as indicated bybroken lines. Pressure applied to the flexed pole at the joint will thenbring the two members into line, with the ridge 6 pressed tightlyagainst the top of the tent. The two sections may then be secured inposition by manipulating the eye bolt or lock carried by one section, soas to engage the channel member.

It will be understood that the joint is capable of application to a widerange of uses and that it will be varied in detail of construction tosuit varying conditions of use.

I claim as my invention:

1. A joint for detachable sectional tent poles comprising a metalchannel member secured to one pole section and extended beyond the endthereof, engaging means on the end of the pole section cooperating withthe channel member, cooperating means on another pole section formed tobe received between the engaging means and the channel member, a portionof the cooperating pole adjacent the channel member receding therefromtoward the engaging face of the other pole section to permit theinterengagement of the members with a substantially pivotal motion atthe engaging portions, and means to lock the channel member to thecooperating pole section.

2. A joint for sectional tent poles comprising a metal channel membersecured to one pole section and extended beyond the end thereof andformed at its other end with a slot, and an eye bolt carried by theother pole section and adapted by rotation to be engaged with anddisengaged from the slotted portion of the channel member, the extremityof one pole section being cut off at an oblique angle to form a recessbetween itself and the back of the channel member and the extremity ofthe other pole section being cut off at a similar angle to enter suchrecess.

This specification signed this 12th day of December A. D. 1925.

DAVID T. ABERCROMBIE.

